Werewolf bites again

Press, 12 June 1986, Page 18

Werewolf bites again

The legend of the werewolf is tackled by the popular horror writer, Stephen King, in "Silver Bullet,” which will start at the Savoy tomorrow.

“There is no more reason for its coming now than there would be for the arrival of cancer, or a psychotic with murder on his mind, or a killer tornado. Its time is now, its place is here,” says King in his novelette, “Cycle of the Werewolf,” on which the film is based. “Here” is Tarker’s Mills, a small, picturesque town where people are bom and die in the same house, and, in between, they take a keen interest in the welfare of their neighbours as much as they do about themselves. Everyday life proceeds with a slow, even pace. “Now,” this quaint place is filled with fright. The townfolk must constantly check over their shoulders — something is here, wreaking havoc. At first, no one is quite sure what is out there, waiting in the darkness. All they know is that people are being killed and something must be done to stop the person — or creature — committing the crimes.

Yet it takes the courage

of a boy aged 13, handicapped and confined to a wheelchair, along with his resourceful confidantes, to do what all the others in town cannot — unravel the mystery, put an end to the paranoia and become a hero.

“Stephen King,” says the producer, Martha Schumacher, “is one of the most prolific and bestselling authors today. As soon as I read ‘Cycle of the Werewolf,’ I knew it would make a terrific movie because it has all the elements of movie should have: it’s

heartwarming, it’s adventurous, it’s scary — and surprising.”

“’Silver Bullet’ is a werewolf story, sort of,” says the director, Daniel Attias, “but it’s really much more than that I have'always tried to make this a movie that would appeal to a much wider audience than just those that come to horror films. More than anything, I think, this is a relationship movie filled with people who find themselves in situations that are both interesting and real.”